Man nearly drowns at Great Sandy National Park near Rainbow Beach

A swimmer has narrowly escaped death off the coast of a popular Queensland tourist park thanks to the heroic efforts of a nearby surfer.

The RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew has flown a man to hospital, after he came close to drowning at a Great Sandy National Park beach, on Friday April 7, 2023. Picture: RACQ LifeFlight

A swimmer has narrowly escaped death while swimming off the Cooloola Coast near Rainbow Beach thanks to a dramatic rescue by a nearby surfer.

An RACQ LifeFlight spokeswoman said the man, in his 20s, had been camping with friends at the Great Sandy National Park when he went for a swim in the ocean shortly before 5.30pm.

He became caught in a rip and soon found himself in “extreme difficulty”, going under the surface “a number of times”.

As he was struggling to stay above the water “a man on a surfboard came to the rescue, pulling him from the water and taking him to shore”.

The man, in his 20s, was swimming off the coast of the Great Sandy National Park when he became caught in a rip and was only saved by a nearby surfer. Picture: Google Maps

A person on the beach near where the man nearly drowned, where mobile phone reception was limited, alerted authorities by setting off a Satellite Emergency Notification Device.

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The RACQ LifeFlight helicopter was called to the scene, with police officers helping clear a landing spot on the sand for it.

The spokeswoman said the man “was conscious and able to walk” when assessed by the helicopter’s critical care doctor. when he was assessed by the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Critical Care Doctor.

He was then flown to Sunshine Coast University Hospital in a stable condition for further medical treatment.